U.K. home prices rise as shortages continueLONDON--U.K. house prices grew in November as new enquiries grew for the third consecutive month amid a continued shortage of properties for sale, a survey of property brokers showed Thursday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said its headline price indicator stood at plus 30 in November, the highest reading since April and up from plus 23 the previous month.

Labor shortages hit U.K. building contractorsLONDON--Fewer British contractors joined the bidding for construction and building work during the third quarter because of labor shortages, according to construction supply chain consortium Build U.K., highlighting the labor issues facing the country's home-building sector.

Why deporting millions of people would be bad for U.S. workers Instead of landing better jobs, workers will be pushed toward low-skilled, low-wage occupationsJob openings will be in low-skilled, low-wage occupations, not skilled work.

Selected highlights from the Fed minutes Interest-rate hike in December is expectedWhat’s on the mind of senior Fed officials? Excerpts from their last big meeting show they are on the cusp of raising interest rates. Read on.

Sports car sales fall as boomers grow up SUVs are better for those aging hipsBaby boomers in the U.S. are starting to outgrow their midlife crisis years, and that’s bad news for auto makers who want to sell sports cars.

Apple revenue dips, but rebound expectedApple Inc. posted its first annual revenue decline in 15 years, but projected a return to growth in the current quarter behind strong sales of its new iPhone 7. Apple has grown to be the most valuable company in the world over the past decade on the tremendous success of the iPhone. But that formula proved less effective in the past year amid lukewarm sales of the iPhone 6S models and slowing growth in smartphone sales world-wide, especially in China, Apple's biggest growth market in recent years.

Dollar shortages return, but this time there’s no Marshall Plan Emerging markets don’t have the dollars needed to buy food and other importsEmerging markets relying on commodities exports are running short of the dollars they need to buy food and other vital imports, writes Carmen Reinhart.

Home-improvement mania may be about to reach its peak Remodeling contractors, just like home builders, say they can’t keep up with demandAmericans have plowed money into repairs and upgrades as move-up options dwindle, but that may peak next year.

Home builder sentiment eases in October, NAHB says Builders see strong demand for housing, but lingering headwinds like higher input prices. Builders still believe there’s solid demand for homes, but also point to the same headwinds that have dogged them since the recovery began.

Infant mortality soaring in Venezuela at a rate higher than in Syria In first five months of 2016 over 4,000 babies died, up 50% from 2012Infant mortality is rising fast in Venezuela at a time when it is falling in almost every other part of the world, in one of the most alarming signals that social and state structures are unraveling.

City leaders ask FTC to ‘take action’ on Airbnb Officials say short-term rentals like Airbnb contribute to housing shortagesA group of 25 elected officials and 17 community groups is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to collect data on Airbnb listings and the revenue the listings generate.

Why construction hiring has sputtered even though firms need workers But better wages might mean less need for longer hours - and not as many accidents. Declining construction employment is due to more than just the recent recession.

Hurricane Matthew set to add to gas woes for the Southeast Industry experts don’t expect price spikes to last longGasoline prices in the Southeast have been rising as drivers fill up in preparation for Hurricane Matthew, the first major hurricane to hit the U.S. in over a decade.

How to stand up for yourself at the doctor’s office By speaking up and asking questions, patients can get answers and better careMaybe you have been in your doctor’s office, trying to make an appointment and got stonewalled by the receptionist. Or maybe your physician isn’t taking your concerns seriously.

Pending home sales slide to lowest in seven months Without more inventory, the housing recovery ‘could stall,’ Realtors say.Home purchase contract signings declined for the third time in four months, the Realtor association said.

Russia is now top wheat exporter, proving sanctions won’t work Putin’s agrarian reforms show Russia can’t be sidelined easilyRussia has become the world’s leading exporter of wheat, proving that economic sanctions against Moscow can’t work, writes Amotz Asa-El.

French revival lifts eurozone PMI as Germay lagsAn unexpected revival in France's economy may have helped the eurozone avoid a further slowdown in the three months to September, according to surveys of purchasing managers at manufacturers and service providers in the currency area.

French revival lifts eurozone PMI; Germany faltersAn unexpected revival in France's economy may have helped the eurozone avoid a further slowdown in the three months to September, according to surveys of purchasing managers at manufacturers and service providers in the currency area.

How high will East Coast gas prices spike after pipeline leak? Ships are dispatched to carry fuel from Texas to New York to try to relieve supply shortagesRetail gas-pump prices could spike by as much 20 cents in the Eastern U.S. states hit hardest by a regional pipeline leak, industry officials said.

Oil rebounds after 2-session decline as gasoline futures rally Gasoline pipeline shutdown lifts futures prices for the fuel by over 4%Gasoline futures rallied Thursday by more than 5%, providing a lift to oil prices following a two-session decline, as the shutdown of a key pipeline looked set to stretch into a full week.

China rethinks its alliance with reeling Venezuela Concerns about debt repayment and safety of expatriates prompt emergency meetings between Chinese envoy and state companiesChina spent much of the last decade building a strategic alliance with Venezuela, a country that sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves and was led by a socialist president, the late Hugo Chávez, who admired Mao Zedong and wanted to counter U.S. influence in Latin America.

Pressure mounts on ECB to do QE3 — what to watch at today’s meeting Could stock purchases be next?Investors are becoming increasingly convinced the European Central Bank will extend its quantitative easing program, but the big question plaguing them this week is if it’ll happen as soon as Thursday.

Plunging yields cost investors a half a trillion a year in yearly income Fitch says income-reliant investors, like pension funds, are taking the biggest hitAs government-bond yields have tumble to all-time low and in many cases negative levels, investors are losing out on over $500 billion in annual income.

Once unthinkable, Mustang and Camaro collaborate Collaboration between Ford and GM would be unheard of a decade agoIt’s like the Hatfields swapping recipes with the McCoys. Or Michigan and Ohio State drawing up plays together.

Housing starts rise to second-highest rate since recession on multifamily rebound Single-family starts are still moving sideways Builders broke ground on more homes than expected in July, but construction still lags levels of earlier economic cycles.

LafargeHolcim profit rises despite lower salesZURICH-Building-materials giant LafargeHolcim Ltd. reported a gain in second-quarter net profit compared with the same period last year, despite a sales decline, as the company cut costs and shed unwanted assets.

Eurozone economy loses steam; inflation stays lowThe eurozone economy slowed in the three months to June, leaving it trapped in a feeble recovery with very low inflation after two years of increasing central bank stimulus. The second-quarter slowdown repeats last year's pattern, and underpins expectations that the growth of economic activity across the currency area's 19 members is unlikely to better the modest rate recorded in 2015.

Economic growth halts in France, recovers in SpainEconomic growth in France and Austria halted unexpectedly in the second quarter, while Spain continued to post the strongest recovery among the eurozone's larger members. France, the eurozone's second-largest economy, recorded no growth in the second quarter from the first, when it expanded 0.7% quarter-on-quarter, national statistics agency Insee said.

French economic growth stalls unexpectedlyFrench economic growth halted unexpectedly in the second quarter as consumer spending slowed abruptly and investment dropped, statistics showed Friday. The eurozone's second-largest economy recorded no growth in the second quarter from the first, when it expanded 0.7% quarter-on-quarter, national statistics agency Insee said.

What to expect from HCA earningsHCA Holdings Inc. is scheduled to release second-quarter earnings before the market opens Thursday. Here is what you need to know: EARNINGS FORECAST: Among analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, the consensus for HCA second-quarter net income per share is $1.56. The company's guidance, updated after the first quarter, projects an adjusted earnings per diluted share of $6.20 to $6.65 for 2016.

Union Pacific profit falls 19% as demand pressuredUnion Pacific Corp. said its second-quarter earnings fell 19% as freight demand remains pressured, a trend the railroad operator expects to continue throughout the second half of the year. Chief Executive Lance Fritz cited the negative impact of the strong U.S. dollar on exports, and relatively weak demand for consumer goods.

Sorry, Trump supporters, but the U.S. economy needs more immigrants With a low birth rate, immigration is a sure way to get the economy growing in the decades aheadWith a low birth rate, immigration is a sure way to get the economy growing in the decades ahead, writes Rex Nutting.

Venezuela’s inflation is set to top 1,600% next year Food shortages, weak oil prices and economic mismanagement has forced the government to declare a state of emergencyIn Venezuela, consumer-price inflation is forecast to hit 480% this year and top 1,640% in 2017, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Venezuela takes over Kimberly Clark plant after company halts operations Venezuela’s economic crisis has starved it of raw materialsGovernment comes after the diapers maker had halted activity because of a shortage of raw materials.

Nordstrom targets Amazon with software stakeNordstrom Inc. has acquired a minority stake in a supply-chain software firm, part of the luxury retailer's effort to fulfill a growing number of online orders without sacrificing profits. Lehi, Utah-based DS Co. provides a cloud-based service that makes it easier for suppliers to directly ship orders placed through their retail partners.

ECB Angeloni: State backing of banks 'fundamental'FRANKFURT -- A top European bank supervisor said Monday that government support for banks is fundamental to any well-designed banking system, weighing into a debate in Europe over Italy's efforts to prop up its struggling lenders.

ECB to ask Monte dei Paschi to act on bad loansMILAN-- Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA said Monday the European Central Bank has notified it of its intention to ask the lender to reduce its total gross bad loans portfolio to EUR32.6 billion ($36.3 billion) by 2018 from the current level of EUR46.9 billion.

Off the Clock: One in Three Teens Get a Summer JobNew York-based career coach Roy Cohen and Andrew Challenger, VP at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, discuss a new generation's place in the workforce and why more teens than ever are passing on summer jobs.

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